Do the rest of you have this reaction? I walked into a Staples store on Sixth Ave. and 23rd St. in Manhattan Thursday night, needing a few mundane items I was helped by five – count ‘em, five – nice people with smiles and time and knowledge.One young woman met me at the door, pointed me in the right direction. One clerk dug out a 2012 datebook from a bottom shelf and another fitted refills for several pens, hardly big-ticket items and all requiring more than a few seconds of attention. And two cashiers could not have been more pleasant.Then I read Paul Krugman’s Friday column in The New York Times that Staples has a policy of hiring for service, rather than downsizing. Those polite and well-prepared people were not there by accident. I had the same experience on the phone the other night when I tried to cope with the hopeless non-instructions that came with a new HP printer. I was stunned to get through to Customer Support in Kolkata. The young man said “Calcutta,” the old Anglicized version, as if to reassure his grumpy caller, but we have a family affinity for India, and I knew I was in good hands. He talked me through the inscrutable process and the printer was humming in a short time. Meantime, we hear politicians braying about growing the economy, but the biggest fortunes seem to be amassed by entrepreneurs – no names mentioned -- who line employees against a brick wall and machine-gun ‘em down. I’m not good at the math, but my visceral impression is that I am going to give my business to companies that provide service, whether in person or from Kolkata. Doesn’t that make sense to you?

Customer service has gotten so bad that we are surprised to receive good service in a store or restaurant. But, in this economic downturn, doesn't it make sense that good service translates into good word of mouth, and therefore, repeat business? I would love to discover that this is going to become the new normal for our country.

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George Vecsey

1/8/2012 11:26:57 am

I always get a kick out of women in traditional costumes bowing and greeting outside Japanese or Korean department stores. But I would settle for workers in US stores who have been told they are there to give service. Too often, that kind of staffer has been downsized so that a top executive can have a bigger payoff.

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Coach Joe Mihalich, center, runs practice

OLD JOCKS CHEERMy Hofstra pals went to a practice -- and later the new players won a thriller near buzzer. ​Please see:https://nationalsportsmedia.org/news/my-alma-mater-thrills-some-old-players-